Take the Driver’s test

The Arizona Department of Transportation recommends strengthening state laws and adding more questions about bicycle safety in driver’s license tests. Many people don’t know the existing rules. How well do you?

1. When is it OK for a bicycle to enter regular traffic from a bike lane or shoulder?

A. To pass another bike in a bike lane.

B. To avoid a hazard.

C. To prepare for a left turn into a driveway.

D. All of the above.

2. When are bicycles required to have their tail lights on?

A. At night only.

B. Never. The law only requires rear reflectors.

C. Between dusk and dawn.

D. Always.

3. Bicyclists:

A. Should ride facing traffic.

B. Must stay in the right lane.

C. Must follow the same laws as drivers.

D. May never ride on sidewalks.

4. When passing a bicycle, motor-vehicle drivers:

A. Must give the bicycle at least 3 feet of clearance.

B. Should sound the horn to warn the bicyclist.

C. Should do nothing different; cars have right of way.

D. May enter a center turn lane if one exists and it’s safe.

5. When a bicyclist approaches a four-way stop sign, the rider:

A. May continue through the intersection without stopping when there is no other traffic.

B. Must stop fully before continuing.

C. Should slow down, look in all directions and proceed with caution.

D. May turn right without stopping.

6. Which is legal for bicyclists

A. Riding with one hand on a grocery bag.

B. Riding with one hand on a grocery bag while talking on a cellphone.

C. Riding on a sidewalk at the posted speed limit.

D. Riding with one hand holding on to a car.

Answers: 1-D, 2-B, 3-C, 4-A, 5-B, 6-A.

Arizona MVD’s Driver’s Test

Here is the only question related to bicycling actually on the current online sample practice tests (there are two tests, 10 questions each):

Bicyclists:

A. Should ride facing traffic

B. Must stay in the right lane

C. Should follow the same laws as drivers

Answer: C

And even it is a little odd. Answer C is clearly the most-correct of the three choices; however, it’s normally phrased as “Must follow…” in other words, it’s not an option, it’s a requirement.

5 thoughts on “Take the Driver’s test”

7. A “dumbass” is:
A. A bicyclist on the roadway.
B. A motorist who yells at bicyclists.
C. A motorist who gets all flustered when a bicyclist actually stops at a stop sign.

8. The proper way to express the tension between bicycles and motorists is:
A. Yell and cuss at each other.
B. Ride really close to each other.
C. Love taps.
D. Bottle it up, uncork it for your S.O. or kids.

9. In Tucson, riding a bicycle on the sidewalks is:
A. Legal.
B. Illegal.
C. Illegal for everyone but the police.

10. An “Idaho stop” is:
A. Bicycles yielding, but not necessarily stopping, at stop signs.
B. A sensible policy for bicycle safety.
C. The law in Idaho, not Arizona.
D. All of the above.

To make a right turn at the corner, you:
a. May not enter the bicycle lane.
b. Should only merge into the bicycle lane if you stop before turning.
c. Must merge into the bicycle lane before turning.

The correct answer in CA is clearly ‘c’. However in AZ, this point is unclear — see comment immediately below and 28-751.1

California has some more sample tests online but only 1 question in the 5 Sample general driver’s test involves bicycles/bicyclists issues, this one was from test #5:

7. When can you drive in a bike lane?
a. During rush hour traffic if there are no bicyclists in the bike lane.
b. When you are within 200 feet of a cross street where you plan to turn right.
c. When you want to pass a driver ahead of you who is turning right.

So note that both these questions involve “right-hook” issues; again, see comment just below for citation to CA’s CVC.

California law is different from Arizona on a couple of points: Permitted Movements from Bicycle Lanes: “any person operating a bicycle upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride within the bicycle lane CVC 21208 and, correct answer to question #7, Motor Vehicles and Motorized Bicycles in Bicycle Lanes: “No person shall drive a motor vehicle in a bicycle lane established on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207 except as follows . . . To prepare for a turn within a distance of 200 feet from the intersection” CVC 21209

Some historical minutia, as part of AZ’s 3 Foot Passing Law (passed in 2000), a requirement was added that MVD must add questions to test “Knowledge of safe driving practices and the traffic laws of this state, including those practices and laws relating to bicycles.” to the driver’s test, 28-3164C. In response MVD developed three questions; one of which is randomly chosen for every driver’s test. The questions are pretty basic; one involves the exact number of feet required when passing, another about the proper direction of travel, and the third about rules for motor vehicles (should say “…as drivers of vehicles”. Vehicles, motorized or not, don’t follow laws).